קַדְמָיְתָ֣א כְאַרְיֵ֔ה וְגַפִּ֥ין דִּֽי־נְשַׁ֖ר לַ֑הּ חָזֵ֣ה הֲוֵ֡ית עַד֩ דִּי־מְּרִ֨יטוּ גַפַּ֜יהּ וּנְטִ֣ילַת מִן־אַרְעָ֗א וְעַל־רַגְלַ֙יִן֙ כֶּאֱנָ֣שׁ הֳקִימַ֔ת וּלְבַ֥ב אֱנָ֖שׁ יְהִ֥יב לַֽהּ׃
Ang una ay tulad ng leon at may mga pakpak ng agila. Nakakita ako hanggang sa mabunot ang mga pakpak nito, at itinaas ito mula sa lupa, at itinayo ito sa dalawang paa na parang tao, at binigyan ito ng puso ng tao.
Esther Rabbah
“As when a man fled from the lion and a bear attacked him; he came home and leaned his hand on the wall, and a snake bit him” (Amos 5:19).
Rabbi Yuda son of Rabbi Simon began: “As when a man fled from the lion and a bear attacked him; he came home and leaned his hand on the wall, and a snake bit him.” Rabbi Huna and Rabbi Aḥa in the name of Rabbi Ḥama bar Rabbi Ḥanina said: “As when a man fled from the lion,” that is Babylonia, according to: “The first was like a lion” (Daniel 7:4); “and a bear attacked him,” that is Media, according to: “And behold, another beast, a second one, resembling a bear” (Daniel 7:5).
Rabbi Yoḥanan said: le dev is written [“a second one, resembling a bear (dov)].”9 The words in the verse in Daniel 7:5 domeh le-dov, “resembling a bear,” could be vocalized domeh le-dev, meaning resembling a wolf, as dev can mean wolf in Aramaic. This is the opinion of Rabbi Yoḥanan, as Rabbi Yoḥanan said: “Therefore, a lion from the forest smote them” (Jeremiah 5:6), that is Babylonia; “a wolf of the deserts will plunder them” (Jeremiah 5:6), that is Media; “a leopard lies in wait near their cities” (Jeremiah 5:6), that is Greece; “everyone who emerges from them will be mauled” (Jeremiah 5:6), that is Edom; “he comes home” (Amos 5:19), that is Greece when the Temple stood; “and a snake bit him” (Amos 5:19), that is Edom, as it is stated: “Its sound will go forth like a snake” (Jeremiah 46:22).
Likewise, it says: “Open for me, my sister, my love, my dove, my faultless one,” (Song of Songs 5:2). “Open for me, my sister,” that is Babylonia; “my love,” that is Media; “my faultless one,” in Greece; “my dove,” in Edom, as throughout the days of Greece[’s hegemony] the Temple was standing and Israel was offering doves and pigeons on the altar.
Rabbi Pinḥas and Rabbi Levi in the name of Rabbi Ḥama bar Ḥanina offered an interpretation [of “In my distress I called to the Lord and to my God I cried; from His Sanctuary He heard my voice, and my cry before Him came into His ears” (Psalms 18:7)]: It is written: “In my distress I called to the Lord,” in Babylonia; “and to my God I cried,” in Media; from His Sanctuary He heard my voice,” in Greece, as Rabbi Huna himself said: “My dove,” in Greece, as throughout the days of Greece, the Temple was standing and Israel was offering there doves and pigeons on the altar. That is: “from His Sanctuary He heard my voice and my cry before Him came into His ears,” in the kingdom of Edom.
Another matter: “ As when a man fled from the lion,” that is Nebuchadnezzar; “and a bear attacked him,” that is Belshatzar; “he came home and leaned his hand on the wall, and a snake bit him,” that is Haman, who would crush the people like a snake. That is as it is written: “Reḥum the commander and Shimshai the scribe” (Ezra 4:8), that is the son of Haman; “wrote a letter…to Artaxerxes the king, as follows” (ibid.). And what was written in it? “Now issue a decree to cease, and that this city not be rebuilt ….” (Ezra 4:21), [“they will no longer pay] minda” (Ezra 4:13), that is land tax; “belo” (ibid.), that is the poll tax; and “halakh” (ibid.), that is the king’s service; “and the revenue of the kings will be harmed” (ibid.). Rav Huna and Rabbi Pinḥas said: Even things with which the kingdom entertains itself, e.g., theaters and circuses, this people harms. When he sent it, it was received by the king, and he canceled work on the Temple. When they saw that, everyone began screaming: 'Woe [vai];' “it was [vayhi] during the days of Aḥashverosh” (Esther 1:1).
Rabbi Yuda son of Rabbi Simon began: “As when a man fled from the lion and a bear attacked him; he came home and leaned his hand on the wall, and a snake bit him.” Rabbi Huna and Rabbi Aḥa in the name of Rabbi Ḥama bar Rabbi Ḥanina said: “As when a man fled from the lion,” that is Babylonia, according to: “The first was like a lion” (Daniel 7:4); “and a bear attacked him,” that is Media, according to: “And behold, another beast, a second one, resembling a bear” (Daniel 7:5).
Rabbi Yoḥanan said: le dev is written [“a second one, resembling a bear (dov)].”9 The words in the verse in Daniel 7:5 domeh le-dov, “resembling a bear,” could be vocalized domeh le-dev, meaning resembling a wolf, as dev can mean wolf in Aramaic. This is the opinion of Rabbi Yoḥanan, as Rabbi Yoḥanan said: “Therefore, a lion from the forest smote them” (Jeremiah 5:6), that is Babylonia; “a wolf of the deserts will plunder them” (Jeremiah 5:6), that is Media; “a leopard lies in wait near their cities” (Jeremiah 5:6), that is Greece; “everyone who emerges from them will be mauled” (Jeremiah 5:6), that is Edom; “he comes home” (Amos 5:19), that is Greece when the Temple stood; “and a snake bit him” (Amos 5:19), that is Edom, as it is stated: “Its sound will go forth like a snake” (Jeremiah 46:22).
Likewise, it says: “Open for me, my sister, my love, my dove, my faultless one,” (Song of Songs 5:2). “Open for me, my sister,” that is Babylonia; “my love,” that is Media; “my faultless one,” in Greece; “my dove,” in Edom, as throughout the days of Greece[’s hegemony] the Temple was standing and Israel was offering doves and pigeons on the altar.
Rabbi Pinḥas and Rabbi Levi in the name of Rabbi Ḥama bar Ḥanina offered an interpretation [of “In my distress I called to the Lord and to my God I cried; from His Sanctuary He heard my voice, and my cry before Him came into His ears” (Psalms 18:7)]: It is written: “In my distress I called to the Lord,” in Babylonia; “and to my God I cried,” in Media; from His Sanctuary He heard my voice,” in Greece, as Rabbi Huna himself said: “My dove,” in Greece, as throughout the days of Greece, the Temple was standing and Israel was offering there doves and pigeons on the altar. That is: “from His Sanctuary He heard my voice and my cry before Him came into His ears,” in the kingdom of Edom.
Another matter: “ As when a man fled from the lion,” that is Nebuchadnezzar; “and a bear attacked him,” that is Belshatzar; “he came home and leaned his hand on the wall, and a snake bit him,” that is Haman, who would crush the people like a snake. That is as it is written: “Reḥum the commander and Shimshai the scribe” (Ezra 4:8), that is the son of Haman; “wrote a letter…to Artaxerxes the king, as follows” (ibid.). And what was written in it? “Now issue a decree to cease, and that this city not be rebuilt ….” (Ezra 4:21), [“they will no longer pay] minda” (Ezra 4:13), that is land tax; “belo” (ibid.), that is the poll tax; and “halakh” (ibid.), that is the king’s service; “and the revenue of the kings will be harmed” (ibid.). Rav Huna and Rabbi Pinḥas said: Even things with which the kingdom entertains itself, e.g., theaters and circuses, this people harms. When he sent it, it was received by the king, and he canceled work on the Temple. When they saw that, everyone began screaming: 'Woe [vai];' “it was [vayhi] during the days of Aḥashverosh” (Esther 1:1).
Shemot Rabbah
Pharaoh was one of four people who rendered themselves deities and [thereby] caused themselves harm, and they are: Ḥiram, Nebuchadnezzar, Pharaoh, and Yoash king of Judah. Ḥiram, from where is it derived? It is as it is stated: “Say to the prince of Tyre…and you said: I am a god” (Ezekiel 28:2). From where is it derived that he destroyed himself? It is as it is stated: “Your heart was elevated because of your beauty, you have corrupted your wisdom by reason of your brightness; I have cast you to the ground, I have placed you before kings to gaze upon you” (Ezekiel 28:17).
Nebuchadnezzar, from where is it derived that he rendered himself a deity? It is as it is written: “I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High” (Isaiah 14:14). The Holy One blessed be He said to him: “Yet you shall be brought down to the grave, to the depths of the pit” (Isaiah 14:15). What did the Holy One blessed be He do to him? He exiled him to the wilderness while he was still reigning, and fed him grass like animals [eat], as it is stated: “And ate grass like oxen” (Daniel 4:30). And the animals and the beasts would see him in the image of a female, as it is stated: “And the destruction of the beasts, which made them afraid [yeḥitan]; because of men's blood, and for the violence done to the land, to the city…” (Habakkuk 2:17), similar to the matter that is stated: “You shall not marry [titḥaten] them” (Deuteronomy 7:3).2The implication is that the other animals will force themselves upon this animal, i.e., Nebuchadnezzar. Nevertheless, “a man’s heart was given to it” (Daniel 7:4),3Even when Nebuchadnezzar was in that state, he was still able to appreciate that all of this was from God to subdue him. as it is written: “And at the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to the heavens, and my understanding returned to me” (Daniel 4:31).4The verse concludes: “I blessed the Most High, and I praised and honored Him who lives forever; for His dominion is an everlasting dominion, and His kingdom from generation to generation.”
Pharaoh, from where is it derived that he rendered himself a deity? It is as it is stated: “My river is mine, and I have made it for myself” (Ezekiel 29:3). The Holy One blessed be He delivered him into the hand of his enemies, as it is stated: “So said the Lord: Behold, I will give Pharaoh Ḥofra king of Egypt [into the hand of his enemies and into the hand of those who seek his life]” (Jeremiah 44:30). What is Ḥofra? It is similar to the matter that is stated: “He shall loosen [ufara] the hair on the woman’s head and put the meal offering of memorial in her hands” (Numbers 5:18), and it is written: “On that day, Egypt will be like women” (Isaiah 19:16).
Yoash, from where is it derived that he rendered himself a deity? It is as it is written: “After the death of Yehoyada the princes of Judah came and prostrated themselves before the king; then the king listened to them” (II Chronicles 24:17). What is “and prostrated themselves before the king”? It is that they rendered him a deity. They said to him: ‘Were you not a god, you would not have emerged from the Holy of Holies after seven years.’ He said to them: ‘This is so.’ He accepted upon himself to be rendered a deity, and engendered his demise, as it is stated: “It was at the turn of the year that the Aramean army rose against him” (II Chronicles 24:23), and it is written: “They executed judgment [shefatim] upon Yoash” (II Chronicles 24:24). Do not read it as shefatim, but rather as shefutim,5A reference to the verse: “They exposed her nakedness…she became a byword among women, for judgments [shefutim] were executed upon her” (Ezekiel 23:10). and it is written: “When they departed from him, as they left him with great diseases…he died…but they did not bury him in the burials of the kings” (II Chronicles 24:25).
What caused Pharaoh to be stricken? It is because he said: “My river is mine, and I have made it for myself.” That is why the Holy One blessed be He said to Moses: “See, I have set you as god to Pharaoh.” “For one higher than the high is watching, and there are higher than they” (Ecclesiastes 5:7). Go and render he who rendered himself a deity despicable in the world, because he elevated himself, as it is stated: “He sees all the elevated, He is king over all the despicable” (Job 41:26). Does He see only the elevated, and the lowly He does not see? But is it not written: “The eyes of the Lord, they range over the entire earth” (Zechariah 4:10)? Rather, Rabbi Berekhya said: These are the haughty who render themselves deities, and the Holy One blessed be He renders them despicable in the world.
Likewise, Sennacherib was haughty and was rendered despicable in the world, as it is stated: “It was that night, the angel of the Lord emerged, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians one hundred and eighty-five thousand” (II Kings 19:35) men. That is why it is written: “He sees all the elevated”; the Holy One blessed be He shows the despicableness of the haughty to all beings.
The Holy One blessed be He said: “Can a man hide himself in secret places and I will not see him? – says the Lord” (Jeremiah 23:24). Rabbi Binyamin bar Levi said: [God says:] If a person sits in the corner and engages in Torah study, I display him to the people. If a person conceals himself for idol worship, I display him to the people, as it is stated: “Can a man hide himself in secret places and I will not see him?” Rabbi Ḥama bar Ḥanina said: [God says:] I fill the upper and the lower worlds with him, and show his degradation to the people. That is why the Holy One blessed be He said to Moses: “See, I have set you as god to Pharaoh.”
Nebuchadnezzar, from where is it derived that he rendered himself a deity? It is as it is written: “I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High” (Isaiah 14:14). The Holy One blessed be He said to him: “Yet you shall be brought down to the grave, to the depths of the pit” (Isaiah 14:15). What did the Holy One blessed be He do to him? He exiled him to the wilderness while he was still reigning, and fed him grass like animals [eat], as it is stated: “And ate grass like oxen” (Daniel 4:30). And the animals and the beasts would see him in the image of a female, as it is stated: “And the destruction of the beasts, which made them afraid [yeḥitan]; because of men's blood, and for the violence done to the land, to the city…” (Habakkuk 2:17), similar to the matter that is stated: “You shall not marry [titḥaten] them” (Deuteronomy 7:3).2The implication is that the other animals will force themselves upon this animal, i.e., Nebuchadnezzar. Nevertheless, “a man’s heart was given to it” (Daniel 7:4),3Even when Nebuchadnezzar was in that state, he was still able to appreciate that all of this was from God to subdue him. as it is written: “And at the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to the heavens, and my understanding returned to me” (Daniel 4:31).4The verse concludes: “I blessed the Most High, and I praised and honored Him who lives forever; for His dominion is an everlasting dominion, and His kingdom from generation to generation.”
Pharaoh, from where is it derived that he rendered himself a deity? It is as it is stated: “My river is mine, and I have made it for myself” (Ezekiel 29:3). The Holy One blessed be He delivered him into the hand of his enemies, as it is stated: “So said the Lord: Behold, I will give Pharaoh Ḥofra king of Egypt [into the hand of his enemies and into the hand of those who seek his life]” (Jeremiah 44:30). What is Ḥofra? It is similar to the matter that is stated: “He shall loosen [ufara] the hair on the woman’s head and put the meal offering of memorial in her hands” (Numbers 5:18), and it is written: “On that day, Egypt will be like women” (Isaiah 19:16).
Yoash, from where is it derived that he rendered himself a deity? It is as it is written: “After the death of Yehoyada the princes of Judah came and prostrated themselves before the king; then the king listened to them” (II Chronicles 24:17). What is “and prostrated themselves before the king”? It is that they rendered him a deity. They said to him: ‘Were you not a god, you would not have emerged from the Holy of Holies after seven years.’ He said to them: ‘This is so.’ He accepted upon himself to be rendered a deity, and engendered his demise, as it is stated: “It was at the turn of the year that the Aramean army rose against him” (II Chronicles 24:23), and it is written: “They executed judgment [shefatim] upon Yoash” (II Chronicles 24:24). Do not read it as shefatim, but rather as shefutim,5A reference to the verse: “They exposed her nakedness…she became a byword among women, for judgments [shefutim] were executed upon her” (Ezekiel 23:10). and it is written: “When they departed from him, as they left him with great diseases…he died…but they did not bury him in the burials of the kings” (II Chronicles 24:25).
What caused Pharaoh to be stricken? It is because he said: “My river is mine, and I have made it for myself.” That is why the Holy One blessed be He said to Moses: “See, I have set you as god to Pharaoh.” “For one higher than the high is watching, and there are higher than they” (Ecclesiastes 5:7). Go and render he who rendered himself a deity despicable in the world, because he elevated himself, as it is stated: “He sees all the elevated, He is king over all the despicable” (Job 41:26). Does He see only the elevated, and the lowly He does not see? But is it not written: “The eyes of the Lord, they range over the entire earth” (Zechariah 4:10)? Rather, Rabbi Berekhya said: These are the haughty who render themselves deities, and the Holy One blessed be He renders them despicable in the world.
Likewise, Sennacherib was haughty and was rendered despicable in the world, as it is stated: “It was that night, the angel of the Lord emerged, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians one hundred and eighty-five thousand” (II Kings 19:35) men. That is why it is written: “He sees all the elevated”; the Holy One blessed be He shows the despicableness of the haughty to all beings.
The Holy One blessed be He said: “Can a man hide himself in secret places and I will not see him? – says the Lord” (Jeremiah 23:24). Rabbi Binyamin bar Levi said: [God says:] If a person sits in the corner and engages in Torah study, I display him to the people. If a person conceals himself for idol worship, I display him to the people, as it is stated: “Can a man hide himself in secret places and I will not see him?” Rabbi Ḥama bar Ḥanina said: [God says:] I fill the upper and the lower worlds with him, and show his degradation to the people. That is why the Holy One blessed be He said to Moses: “See, I have set you as god to Pharaoh.”
Midrash Tanchuma Buber
Everything that the righteous do they do through the Holy Spirit. When Jacob blessed Judah, he blessed him with < the qualities of > a lion, as stated (in Gen. 49:9): JUDAH IS A LION'S WHELP. < Thus he paired him off > 67The bracketed words come from the parallel versions in Tanh., Gen. 12:14; Gen. R. 97, New Version, on 49:27 (= pp. 1224—1225 in the Theodor-Albeck edition). against the kingdom of Babylon, of which it is written (in Dan. 7:4): THE FIRST WAS LIKE A LION.68Gen. R. 99:2. So Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah (descendants of Judah) attacked it (i.e., Babylon). As for Joseph, he paired him off against this < present > wicked kingdom of Rome. R. Samuel bar Nahman said: There is a tradition handed down that Esau will only fall at the hands of Rachel's children. [Thus it is stated (in Jer. 49:20): SURELY THE YOUNGEST OF THE FLOCK SHALL DRAG THEM69THEM refers to Edom, which had come to be identified with Rome in Jewish tradition. AWAY.] And Moses paired off the tribe of Levi against the kingdom of Greece, since the children of the Hasmoneans stem from Levi. Also Levi is the third tribe, and this kingdom of Greece is the third < kingdom >.70According to Dan. 7 as the tradition interprets it. Moreover, Levi (LWY) has three letters, and Greece (YWN) has three letters. The former sacrifices bulls, and the latter writes on the horn of an ox. They have no portion in the God of Israel. The former are many, and the latter are few. Moses saw them and blessed them, as stated (in Deut. 33:11 with reference to Levi): BLESS, O LORD, HIS VALOR… < SMITE THE LOINS OF THOSE WHO RISE UP AGAINST HIM >…. And Jacob paired Benjamin off against the kingdom of Media. Thus it is written about the kingdom of Media (in Dan. 7:5): THEN HERE WAS ANOTHER BEAST, A SECOND ONE, LIKE A BEAR.71Aramaic: dov. Cf. the parallel versions of Tanh., Gen. 12:14; Gen. R. 97, New Version, on 49:27 (= pp. 1224—1225 in the Theodor-Albeck edition), where dov is written without a vowel letter and so allows one to read the word as dev, which means “wolf.” So here is an analogy with it (Media) over against the tribe of Benjamin to which it is likened, as stated (in Gen. 49:27): BENJAMIN IS A RAVENOUS WOLF. Just as the wolf seizes < its prey >, so did the tribe of Benjamin seize < something >, as stated (in Jud. 21:21): WHEN YOU SEE {THE DAUGHTERS OF SHILOH} [AND BEHOLD, IF THE DAUGHTERS OF SHILOH COME OUT]… < THEN YOU SHALL COME OUT OF THE VINEYARDS >, SEIZE FOR YOURSELVES < EACH ONE HIS OWN WIFE FROM THE DAUGHTERS OF SHILOH, AND GO TO THE LAND OF BENJAMIN >.